How To Underline in Google Sheets? [Entire or Specific Text]

Underlining important points/data when compiling information on Google Sheets can be a savior for readers to locate something or get a brief by a cursory view. Yes, it’s possible, and there are multiple ways to do it.

You can use a keyboard shortcut, the format & border tab, and using conditional formatting. Not many sources on the internet cover all at once, so I decided to.

Just go through the detailed guide, understand & follow the steps, and format efficiently. So, without further ado, let’s dig in!

Underlining Entire Cell, Row, or Column

To underline the entire cell, row, or column, follow the step-wise process:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to underline.
   
2. Find the “Format” tab on the menu bar and left-click on it.
3. A menu pops up. Left-click on the “Text” followed by the “Underline”.
   Underline”>
4. The selected cells are now underlined.

Underlining a Part of a Text in a Cell

Underlining just a part of the text follows a bit different process. But that doesn’t mean difficult, and here’s how you can do it:

1. Select the cell containing the text to underline. As an example, I will be highlighting the word Anam from the C13 cell.
   
2. On the formula bar, select the word you want to highlight.
   
3. Press Ctrl + U on Windows and Cmd + U on your Mac keyboard. Your selected text is highlighted.
   

Please Note: Using the Format tab while selecting a part of the text doesn’t work, as it either underlines the entire cell or none of it. Using the mentioned keyboard shortcut does the trick here.

Double Underlining Text

You can also double highlight a text or an entire cell/row using the Border option. This adds an extra emphasis on double-highlighted data compared to a single and grabs more attention.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Select the cell(s) or row you want to double-underline. As an example, I have selected the C4 cell in the sheet.
2. On the menu bar, find & click on the “Borders” option followed by the “Bottom Border” icon.
   
3. Your selected text gets underlined once. Then, find and click on the “Border styles” option, and follow it by selecting the last, i.e., “Double Border Option” from the dropdown menu.
   
4. The double-underlining is now applied to the selected cell (C4).
   

Steps To Underline Using Conditional Formatting

Using conditional formatting is another way to highlight your text.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to underline.
2. On the menu bar, find & select “conditional formatting”.
   
3. A side menu will pop up, click on the “format rules” followed by the “is not empty” option. You can also choose any formatting rule if needed.
   
4. Select the “Underline” option and other customizations you wish to input. In the example, I have changed the text color to “Blue”. Then click “Done”.
   
5. All the changes are applied. The selected cell now looks like this.
   

Not just underline but you can also use other formatting options such as merging cells, adding bullet points and line breaks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrap Up!

With that comes an end to my guide. I hope you understood the steps and follow them to underline the required fields. You can also add colors to alternate rows to highlight the data properly.

Before I leave, here’s a pro tip. One common error when using the conditional formatting method is that the rule doesn’t apply to cells you want it to.

To troubleshoot, check the cell range and ensure it’s as you desire. If not, manually enter the range like this: C1:C16.

That’s it. Will see you in another such informational guide. Till then, goodbye and take care!